Folding electric steam iron



d1. 30, 1951 A BATE FOLDING ELECTRIC STEAM IRON -3 Sheets-Sheei 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1947 INVENIOR ALAN BATE BY I v ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 A. BATE FOLDING ELECTRIC STEAM IRON 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1947 INVENTOR ALAN BATE BY ATTORNEY ct. 3@, E951 A, BATE 2,573,174

FOLDING ELECTRIC STEAM IRON Filed Oct. 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 m 37 INVENTORJ 5/ $1 .9 By ALAN BE v In f TTURNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1951 2573,174 FOLDING ELECTRIC STEAM IRON Alan Bate, Riverton,

C i qrgtc l e W n sted- Hardware Manufacturing Company; sted. 001111. a ccrporation-of Odiuiec'ticut Application October .22, 1947; Serial Nb. 731L442 inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in fiatirons or sadirons and has particiilar relationto ste'am irons and more 'especially'electric steam irons. I g i An object ofth'e'inv'e'ntion is 170' provide an elec tric' steam' iron which" is relatively small and light in weight and which is yet extremely efiicient'in' the conversionbfwater into steam.

Another object is t6 provide a foldable electric steam" iron.

A further object ist-o provide an electric steam iron including meansfor' the production of steam under water pressure;

A further object isto provide an electric steam ironincludingmean's capable of translating the electric energy available in the iron into heat of vaporization.

Other'objectsandadvantages of the invention will become apparentfror'na consideration of the fbllowing detailed description taken inconnec tion with the accompanying drawings wherein satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown; However," it is to be understood that the invention is" notlimited to the details disclosed" but includes all such jvariations and modifications as'fall within the spirit "of the invention and'th'e' scope of the" appended claims.

In the drawingsi Fig. 1 is a side'elevational view'sh owi n'g the iron of the invention as connected'withan elec trical outlet and a waterfaucet;

4 Fig. 2 is a plan viewpf thede'vic'e as shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a topplan' viewof the iron with the cover casing, handle and connections removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken as along the line 44'of Fig. 3 showing a valve construction;

Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail plan view of the valve and associated'portionsof the cover casing; L

asfa-iorig-thenne 6 '-6"of Fig. 3;' M H Fig. '7 is an enlargedplanviewof adetail-of the steamwh'amber and the connection of a tube" thereto; H

Fig. Sis a-plan View of an" assembly ccirlpris' Fig 6 is an enlarged; detail sectional view taken ifrg" the needle valve; tubing" and thesteam' chani berj cover; and

iifon as supplied with water from' a tank;

comics. (01. s s-W)" am No; 2,119,964 of anet;- v a sent invention resides the providingofmeans whereby a folding elec me ir'on'of' th'e'typeshown in saidpatent'i's'con-' stfr ' verted into a folding electric steam iron;

I in the present instance; as in the above identiijied'pa'te'nt, th handle l'3iss'ecuredto the'soiei plate H 'aiidith'e cover casing I2 is secured over theso1ep1fate'bymeans of a pair of screws r bolts I4 and I5; eh screws of bolts pass" through the cover'c'a" gene are attached tojt'he solepleit a'n'd betwe thecov'e'r" casing and the" tree the re'spiec crew'sfa'r'e' bearingpos chavi'ngio emngs' their oifitersides' receiv the ends fof' there pectivbaifprtiohs' H of the handle I3. The actii'al grip: portion l8 of the handle may e made ofplastic, wood, or th'elik'e; andis sciired'to'a between the'b-ail portions l 1; which ma be int 1,1 njaiiy dsi ied'manneri With the nioiintingof' the handle on the'bar ingi post'sas described, will be appreciated that the handle be swiingifrom the vertical, opra ebeiti n h wi t ap o a or substantially. parallel with the upper side Off the; cover'cas ing- [2 of the-iron. A-bracket-like por tion; l9 on-- tl a e' cover casing has pivoted thereto): at 20 a latch device 2| which is'somewhatj'inthe form'of a hook and includes-a finger portion 22. When the-handle is in a; position of use-or a-vertical'position asshowm the latch device 21 is swungabout one of' the bail portions IT of: the handleandacting with'a sort of cam" ac tion'wh'en the lateh-devicefiis'piished fully home; it serves tosecure'the" handlein the vertical positionor in a position for" use I against ac cidental' folding. Thusiasthe' operator uses the iron, the h'anc'l-le will not casually fold or collapse-seas ti) b'r g fingersoftheoperator into engagement 'wnmheatea-pbrmm of theme;

Whenthe ir'o'n is not tobe iised; the catch device swung the other was on' the pivot 2'05 re leasing the hand'le othat-it may 'b'efolded' over against the sever casing-int6an oiit' o ff-the way positionleaving the ii'n substantially fiat where by it w-ni'occupy asmall space and sunny be packedin a bagor' the-like fer travel. Bracketl9 Ina be an integral part of a heel" mate-*0? rest device [Bah V The sole plate I I may be of a n niii'umbr stain as at and then is doubled and itself as at 26 and is again doua rather open curve as at 21 and then carried forwardly, rearwardly and again forwardly as at 28, 29 and 30. The forward end of the arm 30 of the groove is extended as at 3| to the immediate vicinity of a steam chamber 32 located toward the toe of the iron and later to be more fully described. At the point of origin 24, the described groove or channel 23 is adjacent an annular chamber or well 33 formed in the sole plate.

Steam chamber 32 is in the form of an annular depression or well in the sole plate II, which depression through an annular enlargement 34 at its upper side communicates with radially spaced outlets or ports 35 for the escape of steam from the chamber through the underside of the sole plate. Actually, the depression constituting the steam chamber has a rather large counterbore at its outer side, as at 36, and this counterbore receives a closure plate 31 held in place over the steam chamber as by screws 38. If desired, a sealing gasket 39 may be provided at the lower side of the closure.

Closure 31 has a passage 39a extending radially therethrough of which the portion toward an outer edge of the closure is of an enlarged diameter for a purpose to be described and which (see Fig. 6) towards'its inner end communicates with a laterally or downwardly extending port or outlet 40 placing the passage 39a in communication with the steam chamber 32. The well or chamber 33 and the counterbore 36 communicate as through the grove or channel 23.

An assembly, generally designated 4|, shown alone in Fig. 8, is adapted to be placed in the described sole plate. This assembly includes a needle valve 42, a piece of properly bent tubing 43, and the closure or cover 31. An extended end portion 44 of the tube is received in the enlarged portion of the passage 39a in the cover plate and may be sweated or otherwise secured therein. At the other end of the tube, an extended portion 45 (Fig. 4) of the tube 4| is received in the outer enlarged portion of a passage 46 extending radially of a lower annular portion 41 of the valve 42.

The portion 45 of the tube may be sweated or otherwise secured in the annular body portion 41 of the valve whereby an assembly may be made up, as in Fig. 8. In this figure, the parts will be located by jigs or the like so that the assembly may be fitted into place in the sole plate H by locating the lower portion of the valve body 41 in the well 33 and by locating the various portions of the tube 43 in the channel or groove 23 and locating the cover or closure 31 in the counterbore 36. When this is done, the screws 38 are applied to secure the cover in place.

A thermostatic control, such as is disclosed in my application, Ser. No. '115,561, filed December 11, 1946, now Patent No. 2,537,808, dated January 9, 1951, or as disclosed in Patent No. 2,086,240 of July 6, 1931, is mounted on the sole plate and is here generally designated 46. This device is to be controlled or set by hand piece 49 located between the bearing posts |6 at the upper Side of the cover casing l2 and operable through the latter. The cover casing I2 is formed of sheet metal and is generally hollow as shown and fits over the sole plate and parts thereon. In the present instance, this cover plate has a downturned flange portion 50 which is generally circular and which, as shown in Fig. 4, bears against plate forwardly carried back on bled on itself in 4 the upper edge portion of the valve block or body 41.

Such valve, in addition to the block or body portion 41, includes an upstanding annular portion 5| having a lateral luglike extension 52 thereon provided on its outer vertical edge with a fiat 53. The cover casing is cut away to accommodate the extension 52, the cut away being suggested at 54. Then the casing is offset upwardly as at 55 and provided with a straight edge portion 56 abutting the flat 53. With this construction, it will be clear that the fastening down of the closure 31 by the screws 38 anchors one end of the tube 43 and when the cover casing is in place, its portions 56 acting on the valve body 41 secure the valve in place and thus secure the other end portions of the tube 43. The engagement of the flats 53 and 56 prevents any casual turning of the valve 42 about its vertical axis.

Prior to the application of the cover casing, a heating element generally designated 51 is disposed over the tube 43. This heating element will include the necessary resistance and the latter will be enclosed in or between insulating pieces or sheets 58 and the entire heating element may be held down in any desired manner.

It will be understood that the tube 43 constitutes a boiler in which steam is produced and a tube serves to connect the needle valve 42 with the steam chamber 32. Preferably, the tubing is of stainless steel and is of a diameter to have good thermal contact with the groove or channel 23 in the sole plate. It will be apparent from the drawing that there is a considerable length of tubing extending from the valve to the steam chamber and that the heating element extends over the closure 31 of the steam chamber.

In addition to the passage 46, the valve 42 includes a vertical passage 59 which communicates with a passage 60 in accordance with the settin of a needle valve 6|. Needle valve 6| is threaded in the valve body portion 5| and leakage by the needle valve is prevented as by packing 62 held in place by nut or bushing 63. Clearly, on manipulation of the valve 6| by its finger piece or head-like portion 64, setting of the valve is adjusted to provide for greater or lesser communication between the passage 60 and the passage 46 and thus between the passage 60 and the end portion 45 of the tube 43.

A metallic tube 65 is inserted into the valve and communicates with the passage 60 and the portion of the tube extending beyond the valve is adapted to receive one end of a piece of pipe or tubing 66 of rubber or a synthetic elastomer, such as polyvinyl chloride. This tubing must be flexible and is of the desired length and at its opposite end is provided with a fitting or nipple 61 adapted to be connected with a faucet 68 or the like in a city water supply system.

A cord set is also connected with the iron and the same may include a conductor 69, the lead wires 10 and 1| of which are connected, respectively, to the element 51 and the thermostatic control device 48 while a second lead 12 connects the device 48 with the element 51. For ease in ironing or for convenience, the tubing 66 is preferably carried along with the cord set conduit 69 for a distance outwardly from the iron and may be clipped'thereto for a part of the distance as at 13. The cord set includes a plug cap 14 adapted to be plugged into a suitable wall receptacle or convenience outlet as suggested at 15.

When the iron of the invention is to be used,

handle [3 is secured in its; vertical. position; and he cord set is connected. to an electric outlet: While the tubing orhose 66; is: connected to.- a. tap or faucet 68 from which water may be provided under city pressure. The thermostatic control device 48 is then dialed to the desired setting by operation of finger piece 49 and the iron is ready for use as a. dry iron,

If steam isdesired, needle valve 5| .isppened by manipulation of. the thumb knob. or finger piece 64 and the water under pressure of the city mains forced into the metal tubing 43 Ice in the sole plate I l. Heat from the heati'n lement 51 just above the tubing 43 and t roni'the heated sole, plate itself converts'this wate steam which passing through the entire let M ofthe tubing enters the steam chamber-itz and from the latter passes out through the holes or ports 35 in the sole plate. Whenever steam is not desired the valve 6| is simply turned off or Y closed.

An iron constructed as described has a. great many advantages over the tank type of steam iron. In the present iron there is not nearly the bulk to be found in the tank type of steam iron and with the present iron, the supply of steam is practically inexhaustible as there is no occasion for refilling a tank or the like. Additionally, the present iron is capable of supplying copious quantities of steam and the the steam may be supplied wet or dry. Practically instantly the valve 6| may be closed adapting the iron for dry ironing. Then it may be very readily opened again con verting the iron for steam ironing.

As soon as the sole plate H is hot, the iron is ready for use as a steam iron to instantly convert water into steam. The volume of steam is controlled by the valve GI and thus the iron may deliver variable quantities of steam. Since either the steam system is open to an inexhaustible supply of water or the iron is being used dry, the present iron includes a safety feature in that there will never be occasion for steam explosion.

The iron of the invention is adapted for the producing of steam when the iron is hot even though the iron is dialed to the higher ranges since contrary to previous structures including flash boiler devices, the steam here is not produced before the water has a change to move away from the valve and so steam in large quantities may be produced. Depending on the volume of water supplied, the steam passing out through the ports 35 may be very wet steam or it may be superheated, that is, dry or invisible steam.

With the present constructiomwhen the iron is dialed for its highest heat the needle valve 6| may be opened wide to allow the heating element 51 to evaporate as much water as is within tis continuous-on power to do so. That is, all of the electric energy can be diverted into evaporating water whereas in other constructions the maximum ability to convert steam into water is limited by the design instead of by the available power. This makes a substantial difference since the iron herein disclosed will evaporate about one ounce of water per minute whereas in constructions previously used, the capacity is about onethird of that of the present iron. Thus, the iron of the invention is capable of producing copious quantities of steam obviating the necessity for the use of a, pressing cloth.

With the present construction, it will be seen that steam is produced under water pressure and not steam pressure and that the present construction has the ability to translate all of the gth ated

Fig. 9 shows'a slight modification and in the figure-the modification res-ides in the source of water under pressure rather than the con struction of the iron itself. Thus,- inthis figure,

the iron l0, previously described, is again shown" and all of the parts being of the same construction have been given the same numbers as in thepreviousfi'gures.

In this modification, the flexible tubing 68' shown asconnected witha small jar or tank It shown as suspended from a nail or the like 11*. The=jar or tank: 16 is'partly' filled with water; as through an inlet which may then have a closure 18 applied thereto. A small hand pump 19 is connected to the upper portion of the jar or tank 16 through a tube or hose 8!) and the pump is operated to develop a pressure in the tank. Here the pump is shown in the form of a bulb pump although it will be understood that any type of pump may be provided.

When the iron is to be used as a steam iron, the pump is operated to provide air under pres sure in the upper when the needle valve 6| of the iron is open, wa-- ter under pressure will be supplied to the iron: through the flexible tubing 66 and into the metalf tubing constituting the boiler of the iron. Pref-- erably, pump 19 is operated so as to develop a pressure of approximately thirty pounds per: square inch of the water in the tank. Pressure being developed on the water as described, the iron in is used as previously described, either as a dry iron or for steam ironing, depending on the position of the valve 6|.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an electric iron, a sole plate, a steam chamber in said plate, ports from said chamber through said sole plate at the underside thereof, said sole plate having a channel extending back and forth in its upper surface, a length of tubing doubled back and forth upon itself to form a substantially flat grid and laid in said channel, said tubing being of a diameter to have good thermal contact with the walls of said channel, a valve, an electric heating element having an opening therein overlying about the mid-portion in said sole plate and an opening in said grid, a thermostat means mounted on and directly responsive to the temperature of said sole plate for controlling said heating element, said thermostatic means being positioned in the openings in said heating element and said grid, said valve connected with one end of said tubing for controlling the supply of water thereto and said tubing having its other end located to discharge into said steam chamber, a manually operable means for adjusting the valve for the passage of various amounts of Water therethrough to said tubing, and an inlet connection to said valve for communication with a source of water under pressure exterior of said iron to supply water continuously to said grid under the control of said valve.

2. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a steam chamber therein and ports extending from said steam chamber to the under surface of said sole plate, a thermostat mounted on said sole plate at about the mid-portion thereof and directly responsive to the temperature of said sole plate,

portion of the tank whereby' an electric heating element mounted on and.

above said sole plate and having an opening therein through which said thermostat extends in spaced relation to the heating element, switch means actuated by said thermostat connected to said heating element for controlling it to regulate the temperature of said sole plate, a steam.

boiler-,: and means connected to said valve for supplying water to said boiler under the control of said valve from a source exterior of said iron.

ALAN BATE.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Date Name 1,516,923 Hofiman Nov. 25, 1924 1,991,381 Dickman Feb. 19, 1931 2,237,034 Hufiman Apr" 1, 1941 2,302,476 Rubinstein Nov. 1'7, 1942 2,316,907 Wallace Apr. 20, 1943 

